Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to liquid ejection apparatuses and moisturizing apparatuses for a liquid ejection head. The present invention more particularly relates to a liquid ejection apparatus and a moisturizing apparatus for a liquid ejection head, which moisturize the periphery of a nozzle unit in order to prevent clogging of nozzles in the liquid ejection head.
Description of the Related Art
The liquid ejection head represented by an inkjet head may cause clogging as liquid in nozzles is thickened while the head is not in operation or is in a standby state. In order to prevent such clogging, there is known a technique which seals the periphery of the nozzle unit with a moisturizing cap having a moisturizer container and moisturizes the periphery of the nozzle unit with a moisturizer contained in the moisturizer container.
An image recording apparatus is known which has a liquid ejection head arranged to be inclined relative to the horizontal along a peripheral surface of a conveying drum which conveys a record medium retained on the peripheral face. When such a liquid ejection head is moisturized with the moisturizing cap, the moisturizer contained in the moisturizer container has a horizontal liquid surface. This increases a distance between an upper part of the liquid ejection head which is arranged to be inclined and the liquid surface, and causes a problem that a sufficient moisturizing property cannot be attained.
As a method for attaining the moisturizing property, it may be considered to enhance sealability between the liquid ejection head and the moisturizing cap. However, when the liquid ejection head has an uneven shape, or when the liquid ejection head is constituted of a plurality of head modules to enhance replaceability and mass productivity, it is difficult to enhance the sealability.
To solve such problems, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-019106 discloses a technique of increasing humidity in the periphery of the nozzle unit. In this technique, a moisturizer container is divided into a plurality of storages in an inclined direction, and the moisturizer is stored in the plurality of storages so that the moisturizer have liquid surfaces different in height in the inclined direction, and a distance between the liquid surfaces of the moisturizer and the inclined nozzle surfaces is reduced to increase the humidity.